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Rayde
Rayde (レイド, Reido) is one of the main four protagonists of the light novel series, Zenith: Across Worlds; she was the first introduced out of the four. Formerly known by the username, RynFire101, taken from her real name, Ryn Pabalan (パバラン りん, Pabaran Rin), she reverted her level from 19 to 10 and changed her username after encountering a virus upon start up and has been known by it and her corresponding epithets ever since her entrance into the MMORPG, Zenith: Across Worlds. She was the acting representative for Momo's Gear Shop in the Second Annual Clash of the Shops. She picked Knight for her class choice and is currently level 14. Appearance Rayde is seen as a strong, teenage girl. However, out of the main four, she is also the shortest of them all, despite being the eldest. With straight black hair colored with a single red highlight on her right side, she wears it down and it is often described as messy. When she is alone, she apparently ties her hair up, although this claim has never been proven by other characters. On her left upper arm is a black tattoo of a simple rendition of her blade. She also has a snaking black dragon's tattoo around her right hand, extending up her wrist, but it is mostly unknown to the other three since, although she does not necessarily hide it from them as a secret, it is simply always covered by her gauntlet. From Chapter 5 on, she is mostly seen in her casual set of armor, white and accented with red 'scar-shaped' markings. This is worn over dark brown leather pants, a white skirt with red bordering, and armored high knee boots. Background It is revealed that her parents often fought during her childhood. Although it seemed that she had mostly gotten used to it, the departure of her close brother to college along with the increasing degree of the fights' seriousness led her to retreat further into video games as a refuge. Retrieving Zenith: Across Worlds through her own means, she immersed herself into the MMO, enveloped and intrigued by, what she has stated, its fantasy and action elements. However, it is noted that she mostly played alone as a solo player, which may be an indication of the effect her dysfunctional family had on her. She and ZeoTamer are the only players out of the four who knew one other before the events of the light novels took place. Personality The most aggressive out of the four, Rayde often strikes back toward both players and NPCs, confident in her abilites. She often does not seem to care about the well-being of NPCs, as seen in Journey to Momo's, where she injures a shopkeeper with a chair, nor does she seem to care about the opinion other players hold of her. She also seems to be very clever and smart, and has been shown to know a great deal of information about the game. She is arguably the most playful, seen many a time pranking other players and joking around, but she does in fact observe self-constraint when the situation calls for it. Acting mature and reserved when something serious or ominous arises, she is shown to genuinely care for her friends, as evidenced in CotS Part V II: The Epilogue, when she strongly presses Shadow to open up about what had transpired during the event, later comforting her. Other moments arise when she is quick to change her attitude and instead puts on a smile and makes a joke when the somber mood seems to affect her friends. As seen in CotS, Part V II, however, Rayde is actually very sensitive to subjects involving death and loss, so heavily affected that she has shown signs of something close to breaking down and crying when she is alone. This and other circumstances also reveal that she keeps many things to herself, like her encounter with DarkWind during the Second Annual Clash of the Shops or her dark thoughts about player deaths; it is likely that she has not told her friends about the ongoing fights in her household. Considering how much she values her friends, however, it is likely that she does this in order to keep her troubles from weighing down on their minds; evidence for this can be seen in the last stanza of the Shadow's poem, To Each One's Own, Sorrow. Equipment and Abilities Armor Being of the Knight class, her wardrobe is mostly composed of various suits of armor, each equipped with a unique special resistance. * Casual Set: This is the only exception to the above statement: it was designed to encompass a broad and balanced ratio of attack and defense, and is equal in its resistance to each element, defaulting it as the armor she uses in most situations. The one she is seen most in, it is a light custom-made suit of armor that is mostly white in color and stylized with, what are described as, red 'scar-shaped' markings. It consists of a high collared breastplate, shoulder guards, gauntlets, and boots. Except for the length from her elbow to her shoulder pieces, as well as her head and her legs, where she wears only leather pants and a knight's battle skirt, she is protected by the forged steel of her armor. Most of this outfit, like her hair and weapon, is asymmetric: she wears a spiked dark-gray armor piece on her right arm; she wears her belt slanted on her waist; and the shape of her collar is asymmetric in its design. * Armored Angel: This is the armor she equipped for a short period of time in Chapter 4 via her special before Winglancer drained her bar. No fight statistics or details about the look have been released, but it is assumed that it would have had a high resistance to general attack moves without an element behind it, considering her opponent at the time. * Zhàndòujī: In this Asian-inspired fighting outfit, Rayde sports a wide sedge hat that covers most of her face. On her torso, she wears a sleeveless but sturdy top secured by three Chinese frog buttons that is reminiscent of a Kung Fu Tang-Zhuang. Below, she wears loose black pants; from her knee down, as well as on the lower halves of her arms, there is white cloth that is secured by tied crisscrossed ribbons. Around her waist is a wide cloth that is secured by a belt over it, although the ends of the cloth hang loosely at her left side. Her footwear is unknown. One of the few outfits that contain no pieces of armor, Rayde has never been seen in this in the released light novels. However, a few pieces of information from the publishers have been released, taking noting that, without closer inspection, she may be seen as dressed in a simple, Asian-inspired farmer's outfit. It is speculated that she will use this on a quest that requires a disguise, although this has not been confirmed. Weapons Rayde makes use of three fantasy-styled weapons, each one of them equipped with their special attributes and each with a set of pros and cons. * Restless Edge: This sword is Rayde's main weapon, crafted herself when she became level three. It has a white grip with a stark black diamond residing at the pommel. At the center, where the rain guard is, there located is a white four-sided diamond. At the top of the hilt, the red cross guard is asymmetrical itself, longer on one side and curved slightly outward to protect against sliding blades along the sword’s length. On the other side, the guard is indented with a dark gray curved section to match the dark gray steel blade of the sword. The blade is also not symmetric, edged to a sharp and deadly point on the blade’s right side. * Blood Scabbard: The scabbard to Restless Edge, it is a hard and sturdy metal case, white and stylized with her red scar markings. It attached to her belt at the waist. When fighting, she holds at the top in the reverse grip and uses it as a weapon alongside her sword. Mostly defensive, it acts as her shield to deflect attacks, but she may use it stunning and follow up after she attacks with her sword. * Winged Thorn: Her dagger, she uses it when she is in need of faster combos, dual wielding it in her left hand with her sword in her right. It is similar to Restless Edge in look, save for the size and the small white metal blade. When she activates her special ability, she uses it as a powerful projectile. Although she has stated that she does not like to throw it far out of fear of losing it, she has resorted to this when the situation called for it, as seen in Clash of the Shops Part V II, when she threw it at the Shadow's Maiyakami to delay her progress in the race. Abilites Like other players, she makes the use five abilities, a melee, dash, attack, defend, and special. While observing her type, Fantasy, it also observes a theme of a combination of light and dark. * Melee - Void Breaker: A powerful melee combo, consisting of a left elbow to the opponent, followed by a right-handed uppercut. * Dash - Dark Rift: A rapid shift to a point nearby, in which a before-image is left in the previous position for a limited amount of time. A certain level must be achieved by the opponent before the image is revealed to be just that. * Attack - Arcane Blades: An ability that, when used, enables the user to increase his/her damage of the equipped weapon(s) for a limited time, along with a strong light emanating from the weapons, stunning nearby opponents who face the user. * Defend - Light’s Armor: A defensive ability which achieves an energy-like barrier, barring a certain amount of damage to the user when his/her weapon is in a selected position. After a certain amount of damage is dealt upon the barrier, the barrier will break. * Special - Reaper’s Counter: A special ability which allows the user to instantly equip into a matching set of armor that would better benefit the user at the occasion. The amount of damage inflicted by the user in the hundred hits required to fill his/her special meter is transferred onto his/her secondary weapon, and can be used as a projectile. Chronology Welcome to Zenith Arc She, known at the time as RynFire101, was first introduced after she overheard an argument between two players in Chapter 1, challenging the female player, DarkAngel, to a duel. When she logs off to plan her strategy, she encounters a notification about a virus that has affected the game, but continues to log back in anyway. When she attempts to, however, she somehow blacks out and wakes to a blank void where she is prompted to select a new avatar with the same attributes and items, but with a new username; she was also required to revert her level, reluctantly forfeiting her level 19 for level 10. Blacking out once more, she wakes up to find herself on Mount Zenith, within the game itself. After acquainting herself with the world and the controls, she engages DarkAngel in their scheduled duel. As their battle approaches its end, however, the Beast of the area, Winglancer, arrives and effortlessly kills her opponent and engages her in battle. After a few complications, she eventually wins against the creature, but when she walks away from the scene, Shadow emerges from the mountain caves and drags her away. After they acquaint in town and share similar stories about their entrance into the game, Rayde decides to add her as a friend. She leaves briefly to the Town's market to customize her armor at Momo's Gear Shop, encountering trouble with the dense crowds, also meeting another player named Draken in the process. When she returns to Shadow, they leave on their first quest together. When they are tasked with defeating a Corrupted, they exchange attacks and support to one another automatically and rhythmically, the experience revealing how well they fight together, strengthening their friendship in the process. The two attempt to sleep in a deserted village in the forest, perturbed by eerie noises. When they wake, they enter another quest that explores the reason why the village is empty and easily move on to beat a low leveled NPC, Blaze. As they move on, Rayde and Shadow receive a notification about an event that will take place in a nearby town, and they separate, agreeing to meet up in the morning. Clash of the Shops Arc On the morning of the Second Annual Clash of the Shops, she meets up with Shadow in the town square and they discuss their respective sponsors; she represents Momo's Gear Shop. When she is the first introduced of the representatives, she steps up to her platform confidently and happily. When Shadow is introduced and receives a quieter response, self conscious, she sees Rayde looking at her, concerned. Later, when they move on to the starting line, Rayde abruptly stops in the front of the line of walking representatives as a prank, causing those behind her to bump into one another. Like the other representatives, Rayde is trapped in the purple fog when the gun fires. After she is knocked over and kicked by another representative, they are finally released and she is the first one to run into the route, gaining a substantial lead. She lengthens this lead when she encounters the first objective, skillfully weaving through the market with her past experience. In the second objective, she beats the entire Silver Hawk Guild efficiently and rapidly, leaving all of them on the ground. She moves on to the third objective, the stealth challenge, but is easily discovered by the uroko-jomonos. She fights them and then flees from the objective. In the fourth objective, she finally loses her whole lead, puzzled by the riddle. She receives the second notification of an eliminated player, sadly and solemnly reacting; when Shadow notices and is also affected, realizing that Rayde has always been wary of the implications of a player death, she quickly changes her attitude and smiles. Later, after she shares a few jokes with the Coalition, especially with Winter, she eventually solves the riddle after she is passed by Draken and a few others. On her way to the fifth objective, she delays Reyn, Io, LavaBearer, and Menace and quickly fights Ryano in the challenge. She arrives to Glacier's Hollow and explores its caves, receiving two more notifications about player deaths. She meets the first with uncertainty, attempting to cast off the implications due to the lack of information as to whether or not players died in reality, but is unable to contain her emotions with the second. Shaking it off, she continues until she witnesses DarkWind indirectly kill a representative, realizing that the recent player deaths had been because of him. They face each other and fight. Although her progress in the race is mentioned by the commentators, she is not seen again until she destroys Shadow's Maiyakami. They run toward the finish, and, with Guradel and Draken caught up, the four are tied for first place. When they approach the town square, she is hit in the abdomen by the blob-like Tangible Reflection and is wrenched from her momentum, coughing up blood when she is knocked onto her back. She gets up quickly, unhurt, and she and Shadow cut off the Reflection's tentacle. She leads the other three into the square after they realize it is an illusion cast by Ryano and she solemnly takes second place. After talking with Momo, it ends with her sitting with Draken, talking with him. In the epilogue, it is revealed that she and Shadow left the event during the closing ceremony when the names of the eliminated players were being announced. As they walk away, she confronts Shadow about what had transpired during the event, angrily pressing her when she begins to assume that Shadow did not trust her enough to tell her. She eventually softens and, after she is informed, she comforts her. As they continue along, they are passed by two groups of players. Having heard of them, the groups both whisper about the two after they pass, but the second group, upon seeing her past Shadow, stare at her. Asked why, Rayde tells Shadow she does not know and says that she beat a yokeri in the Hollow. She does not tell her about her encounter with DarkWind. Quotes * "Sometimes I wish this video game was real... just so I can escape from this misery... Stupid parents." * "Dra... Dragon Draken... Yeah, I know. I'm not deaf... But I'm calling you Dragon." * "Don't assume that you could easily take me out. Sizing up another player's skill based upon only their level would be a grave mistake... on your part..." * "Is that it? You don’t trust me anymore? Did all that time you spent in the event pull you away? Or... or did... did you never?” * “I can see... that you’re different, there’s something different in your expression, in your thoughts... And, you said it was ‘nothing’ when I asked... Plus... I can see that... you really want to leave this place, Shadow.” * “Don’t blame yourself... don’t support the weight by yourself... because, in the end, you’ll find out that others had been piling more when you had just thought to yourself that your arms were tired...” * "You know, such things like problems... they're rights reserved for only the living." Trivia * Her favorite color, and the color she is represented by, is red. * Her favorite fruits to eat are cherries, but she prefers mango or pineapple flavoring for ice cream, candy, etc.. * She is very sensitive to sour candies and fruits, and usually tries to wash off the sour coatings of candies before eating them. * Her character song is track number two in the compilation soundtrack, Root of the King by TETRA-FANG. * She places second in the Second Annual Clash of the Shops. * In the Second Annual Clash of the Shops, she is the third worst in the fourth objective; she spent forty-six minutes and thirty seconds in her attempt to deduce the riddle. * She is right-handed. * Before her entrance into the game, she used an old XboxOne controller paired with her laptop to play Zenith: Across Worlds. * She wears her casual suit of armor on most occasions, but wore a leather shirt until she attained her default breastplate after her fight with Winglancer. * She has said that her worst fear is of spiders. * Unique to her fighting style, she holds her scabbard backwards in her left hand as a defensive weapon. * The poem, The Rustling Wind, is from her perspective during the epilogue, and is briefly present as well in Shadow's version, To Each One's Own, Sorrow. * In the second objective of the Second Annual Clash of the Shops, it is speculated that Rayde was able to defeat the Silver Hawk Guild so effortlessly because they were already weakened after their encounter with DarkWind. This is evidenced by their learning only after she left that they could heal between representative battles.